Towel-holding apparatus.



C. H. CHADWICK. TOWEL HOLDING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILEYD FEB. 1. 191a.

1,224,137., Patented May1,1917. /0 5 29 I 53%- 13595 (Z CHARLES H. CHADVVICK, OF QHICAGO, ILLINOZS.

TOYIEL-I'IGLDING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Yztterg Mail it, 113} ,4

Application fiEecl February 1. 1913. Serial No. 7 35,5fi2.

To aZZ wiwm it may concern:

lie it known that l, Commas ll. CHAD- wicn, a citizen of the ilnited States, residing: at Chicago, county of (look, State of illinois, have invented a certain new and useful. Improvement in 'lowel-llolding Apparatus, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same. such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

in the majority of oliiccs and business estahlislnnents, the. ollire towel service is lllllfll'l care of by individuals or companies who at stated intervals collect soiled towels and replace them with fresh, clean towels he universal practi e is to supply the ordinary large towels each of which is used as often as possible until it becomes soiled and is then thrown aside. The practice of having several persons use the same towel is an objectionable one since. for many reasons, it is preferable that each towel be used b only a single person and only once before being discarded. Even where large towels are used, however, and collections are made once a week, there may be quite an accumulation of soiled towels which have been cart-dessly thrown under the wash basin. on top of the towel rereptacl and in varioiis other places; so that the wash room or booth becomes unsightly, time is consumed in gathering-toget her the towels and the towels are unnet'essarily soiled by coming in contact with dusty floors or other parts and there is often a loss of towels because of being carried away with ruhbish. By substituting for the ordinary towels, towels which are small enough to make it commercially feasible to use them once only, the diiliculty of collection and the time consumed thereby, the opportunity for losing, individual towels, and the opportunity for littering up the Wash room or booth will be greatly increased if the small towels are handled in the same way as the large towels are now handled.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby small towels intended to lie used only once may be employed instead of the usual large towels, while at the same time the objections which have just been noted with reference to the use of large towels, (aside from the objections on sanitary grounds to the use of the same towel by more than one person) will, instead of being augmerited, be entirely overcome so that the towels will not brcom unnerwssarily soiled, will not litter the wash room, or booth, and, may be collected quickly and ctmveniently.

The unions features of novelty whereby my invention is'clnu'acterized will hereinafter be pointed outwith particularity in the laims; but, for a full umlerstandinf, of my invention and oi itsobfiect. and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the arronipanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a vertical section throngh a fragment of a towel cabinet embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view looking toward the right 171 Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view on an enlarged scale of a dc all of the device for holding the towels;

Fig. i; is a view of a fragment of a towel adapted to he used with my improved apparatus;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to 4-, a modification; and

Fig. i; a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of cabinet.

In accordance with my invention means are provided for housing a supply of small towels in such a way that they may be ithdrawn one at a time for use and be deposited with previously used towels afte they have been used. Of course, if desired, no housing need be provided for either the fresh towels or the soiled towels, since in some cases it may be deemed suiiicient simply to keep the two kinds of towels apart from each other. However, I prefer to provide a housing or receptacle for each kind of towels so that both the clean towels and the soiled towels will he concealed and the clean towels will be protected against dust and dirt. Further more, in order to make the handling of the towels by collectors simple am easy, 1 pre-' fer so to arrange the holders that the towels do not actually become detached from some holding device and will tiei'efore be kept together. it will of course beiunderstood that my invention is not limited'to the ordinary towel supply service since it is adapted to he used wherever a considerable number of individual towels are desired.

Referring to Figs. 1 to'5 of the drawings, 1 represents a cabinet or receptacle for clean towels and 2 a similar holder for soiled towels. If desired, the cabinet or receptacle showing 1 may be receiving provided with a suitable door or cover, 3, which normally closes the same but which may be opened to give access to the clean towels. The towels themselves are 1ndicated at 4 and each, is provided at one edge with a loop 5, or, the towels may have eyes, as indicated at 40 in Fig. 4. It is my intention to hold any desired number of towels together by a suitable member threaded through the loops thereof in such a way that the uppermost or endmost towel can always be withdrawn for use without becoming wholly free; so that a towel may be conveniently used but cannot be entirely detached. This may conveniently be accomplished by stringing the towels upon a cord, cable, chain or other flexible member which is made continuous or has its ends fastened in such a way that the towels may be moved along the same but cannot come off in ordinary service; the flexible member being made long enough to permit the towels to be used without inconvenience on account of the holding means.

In the arrangement shown in the first five figures of the drawing, there is in the receptacle 1, near one of thewalls'thereof, a post 6 permanently fastened at oneend to the receptacle. The towels themselves are adapted'to be strung upon a tube 7 large enough to slip over the post. Theparts are so proportioned that when a tube carrying a pile of towels is slipped over the post, the towels will lie or hang properly Willl'llh the cabinet. or receptacle for clean towels. The uppermost or outermost towel may be removed from the receptacle by sliding the loop toward the upper or outer end of the tube at which point the loop passes upon a flexible member 8 which hangs-downinto the receptacle 2 forsoiled towels andfhas enough slack to allow the towel to-b'e-used conveniently. After the towel has been used, it is allowed to drop and the loop slides down the flexible member until the towel enters the receptacle forsoiled towels. The end of the flexible member must be operatively related to the upper or outer end of the supporting tube in order to receive from the latter the loops as the towels are withdrawn, and the other end of the flexible member is preferably fastened at some convenient point so as to prevent it from being drawn out of place while a towel is being used. The receiving end-of the flexible member may of course be disposed in various ways. In the arrangement shown, the flexible member is directly connected at "one end to the upper or outer end of the tube by means of a padlock 9 engaging with a suitahleeye 10 at the upper end of the tube. The other end of the flexible member is secured in any suitable way to the lower end of the tube. In the arrangement shown, this latter connection is by means of an eye links of the liexible'chain and into a flange 12 at the lower end of the tube. With this arrangement both ends of the chain may be introduced through the top of the receptacle for clean towels or, if preferred, the front wall of the receptacle 1 may be provided.

with a vertical slot 13 just in front of the )ost this arran ement )ermittiu thechain to pass from the lower end-of the tube out of the front of the receptacle without passing over the top edge and also giving a view of the interior of the'receptacle for dis closing the presence or absence of towels.

The flange on the bottom of the tube is made large enough to prevent the eyes or loops from slipping down off the lower end 'of the tube 'When the towels are first strung.

If desired, a small spring catch 14 may be placed in the bottom of the receptacle for clean towels in a position to engage with the flange on the tube and lock the same in place so that the tube will not be accidentally lifted out of the receptacle while the towels are being used.

The towels are. strung upon the tube at the laundry, the upper end of the chain or flexible member being detached for this purpose. After the desired number of towels have been strung on the tube, the upper end of the chain is again fastened to the tube and the towels are-positively locked on-a flexible ring and cannot be detached therefrom until the ring 'or loop is broughtback to the laundry. Consequently individual towels cannot become-lost either in transit to or from the laundry or while in a-place where they are to be'n'sed. Furthermore, no time is lost by the collector in gathering together.'soiled towels and an unsightly appearance inan oiiice or wash room due to towels scattered about in out of the way placeshis avoided. At the same timthe towels may be made small enou h to I ake it feasible to supply them 1 sufficient quantities to permit each towel to be discarded after it has been used once. The chain or other flexible member is made long enough so that as each towel is withdrawn from the receptacle for clean towels, the user has entire freedom of movement and need not assume an unnatural position while wiping his hands or face.

In Fig. 6 the arrangement is substantially the same as that heretofore described, there being a receptacle 1 for clean towels and a receptacle 2 for soiled towels. In this arrangement one end of the flexible member 8 may be attached to the upper end of the tube or post in any suitable way, while the other end is simply allowed to drop into the receptacle for soiled towels. Inorder to pretime they leave the laundry and the time they are brought back, I slip upon thc lower vent the removal of the towels between the lock 16 on'the extreme end of the flexible member. In the bottom of. the receptacle for soiled towels there is preferably arranged a suitable catch or holding device for detachably holding the free end of the flexible member against withdrawal. In the arrangement shown, this catch or holding device consists of a snap hook 17 which is adapted to engage with a suitable eye on the padlock.

In this arrangement, as in the other, the towels are positively locked on the flexible member so that they cannot be removed by anyone not having a proper key, the flange 12 on the tubular holder preventing the towels from dropping down off the tube, and the disk or plate 15 preventing the towels from slipping off the free end of the chain. Consequently this arrangement has the same advantages as the other in that the towels are positively kept together, each towel may be used conveniently, and there is a place for both soiled and clean towels which insures neatness in the oflice or wash room and convenience in collection. Furthermore, in both arrangements, the clean towels and the soiled towels are kept apart so that the clean towels will always be fresh and sweet.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only two modifications of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the structural details so illustratedand described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which fall within-the terms employed in the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a support for towels, a long flexible member adapted to be threaded through loops or eyes in a series of tow els arranged on said support, and a lock for securing the ends of said member together to transform it into a closed loop on which the towels are held.

2. In combination, a receptacle for towels having one side arranged to permit the insertion and removal of towels, a long flgxible member adapted to pass through said side of the receptacle and be threaded through a series of towels arranged within the receptacle, and a lock for detachably connecting the ends of the flexible member together so .as to transform it into a closed loop.

3. In combination, a support for clean towels, a rigid member detachable from said support adapted to pass through suitable registering eyes or loops in a stack of towels resting on said snpport,,a flexible line connected at one end to one end of said rigid member, and a lock for securing'the other end of the flexible line to the other end of said rigid member.

4. In combination, a support, a rigid member detachably mounted on said support and adapted to pass through suitable registering eyes or loops in a stack of towels, a flexible line connected at one end to one end of said rigid member, and a lock for securing the other end of the flexible line to the other end of said member.

5. In a towel holder or the like, the combination with a supporting member, of an assembling member adapted to secure towels in assemblage upon the supporting member,

a flexible retaining member cooperative therewith for the purpose specified, and means for securing both ends of said retaining member to the assembling member.

6. In a towel holder or the like, the combination with a supporting member, of an assembling member adapted to secure towels in assemblage upon the supporting memberpa flexible retaining member cooperative therewith for the purpose specified, and

said retaining .member together.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLESv H. CHADWICK. Witnessesz;

WM. F. FREUDENREIOH,

RUTH E. ZETTERVALL.

. means for detachably securing both ends of 

